Forty forty
Children's game
Forty Forty (also known as 123 Home, Forty Forty In, Mob Mob, Mob and other names) is a children's game combining elements of the games "It" and Hide and seek. One player is "on", or "It", and they must capture the other players by 'spying' them rather than by tagging as there is no physical contact with another player.
Rules
A player is chosen as "It" and a landmark such as a tree or lamppost is chosen as the base, this is sometimes called “the mob post”. Players who are not "It" run and hide, while "It" counts to a certain number depending on the version of the game; usually 40, 44 or 100. "It" looks for the other players, while the players try to get to base without being seen.
If a player gets to base without being seen, they shout "forty forty I'm free", "forty forty home", "forty forty save myself", "forty forty in", “save myself 123” and are then safe, waiting at base for the remainder of the game and do not help “It” in the search for other players. In order to catch someone, "It" must see the person, run back, touch the base and say "forty forty I see [name]" or “mob mob [name] 123”. If the "seen" player is behind or in an object, it must be specified; e.g. "forty forty I see [name] behind that tree" while pointing at it.
Players that are caught by the "It" return to base.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Forty forty” as children's game. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as children's game. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q17014499. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Forty forty”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Forty forty primary sources, Forty forty archive and Forty research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Forty forty”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Forty forty” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.